Friday, September 28, 2012

Many people think the genes they inherited
at birth are static and predetermine their fate for the remainder of their life.
Extensive research into the science of epigenetics is providing startling
evidence that this thought process is grossly outdated, and our individual DNA
is dynamic and continually influenced by multiple lifestyle factors including
diet, environment, stress and physical activity.

Researchers publishing the result
of a study in the journalCell Metabolism provide evidence that
that when healthy but inactive men and women exercise for a matter of minutes,
it produces a rather immediate change to their DNA. While we cannot change our
core DNA code, exercise does influence the DNA molecules within our muscles.
Scientists have found that DNA is chemically and structurally altered or expressed
in very important ways that affect a myriad of metabolic processes that protect
us from chronic disease.

The scientists found that DNA
modifications signal precise genetic reprogramming in muscles that determine
overall muscle strength as well as structural and metabolic benefits derived
from physical activity. Study leader, Dr. Juleen Zierath noted“Our muscles are really plastic… muscle
adapts to what you do. If you don't use it, you lose it, and this is one of the
mechanisms that allows that to happen.”

Epigenetic modifications involve
the addition or deletion of chemical markers on the DNA strand that change
rapidly based on environmental influences such as the nutritional composition
of your last meal, pollutants in the environment or the intensity of an
exercise workout. Researchers found that DNA within skeletal muscle examined
after a short burst of exercise bore fewer chemical markers (specifically
methyl groups) than it did before exercise.

The study team specifically
determined that the DNA modifications occurred in stretches of DNA that are
involved in expressing genes known to be important for muscular adaptation to
exercise. This research clearly provides more evidence that our genetic
constitution is continually evolving in an effort to protect us, and is
positively influenced by short, moderate intensity bursts of physical activity.
These alterations allow us to adapt quickly to the changing environment that
surrounds us.

Dr. Zierath concluded“Exercise is medicine… and it seems the
means to alter our genome for better health may be only a jog away.” The
finding of this study may explain recent research showing that the best form of
exercise works our musculature in short bursts of moderate to full intensity (as
measured by attaining maximum heart rate for your age range) for several
minutes in duration, followed by a rest period and then another energy burst.
Combining this evidence with an organic whole food diet will positively
influence your genes toward optimal health.

Monday, September 24, 2012

New diagnosis of Alzheimer’s
disease cases continue to mount at an unprecedented rate, threatening both the
lives of those suffering from this dreaded illness and the health care system
itself, as billions are spent to care for the millions suffering from this
lifestyle-mediated disease. New hope is now offered by scientists from the
University of California publishing in
the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease,
as they have identified the specific intracellular mechanism regulated by
vitamin D3 that may help the body clear the brain of amyloid beta.

There has been scant evidence in
the past to show that vitamin D and the curry-derived compound, curcumin help
to prevent Alzheimer’s dementia. Researchers now provide solid research-based
science to explain the precise pathway used by these two natural substances to
help stimulate the immune system to activate key genes involved in clearing the
amyloid-beta protein.

Vitamin D3 and Curcumin Works Together to Clear Deadly Brain Plaques

Chief study author, Dr. Milan
Fiala noted“This new study helped clarify the key
mechanisms involved, which will help us better understand the usefulness of
vitamin D3 and curcumin as possible therapies for Alzheimer's disease.” Prior
research has suggested a synergistic effect between the two compounds and
clearance of deadly protein tangles, but no action pathway has ever been
postulated until now.

To test their hypothesis,
scientists took blood samples from a group of currently diagnosed Alzheimer’s
disease patients and a control group of healthy volunteers. They then isolated
the immune-stimulating component of the white blood cells called macrophages. These
special cells are known to target and eliminate amyloid fibrils and other waste
products that accumulate in the brain before they manifest into detectable
disease conditions.

Researchers then incubated some
of the extracted immune cells for a 24 hour period in a solution containing the
active form of vitamin D3 (1a, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D3). Other cells were
exposed to a standardized curcumin extract. Past studies have shown that there
are two types of macrophages, Type I and Type II that independently perform
different functions, yet must work together to effectively remove amyloid
protein in the brain.

The scientists found that Type I
macrophage activity is greatly enhanced with optimal saturation of vitamin D3,
and Type II immune cells are supported by the presence of curcumin. Researchers
found that the action of both Type I and II macrophages are greatly enhanced by
the synergistic application of vitamin D3 and curcumin together. Dr. Fiala concluded“Our findings demonstrate that active
forms of vitamin D3 (and curcumin) may be an important regulator of immune
activities of macrophages in helping to clear amyloid plaques.”

Proof positive now exists to
support maintaining optimal blood saturation levels (50 to 70 ng/mL) of vitamin
D as measured using the simple and inexpensive 25(OH)D test. Most people will
need to supplement with 5,000 to 7,000 IU of vitamin D3 per day or rely on sun
exposure to obtain ideal levels. Adding curcumin to your regular diet using
natural curry-enriched foods or supplementing (300 to 500 mg per day
standardized to 95% total curcuminoids) will provide a synergistic effect shown
to help clear brain tangles and prevent Alzheimer’s dementia.

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Cardiovascular disease is the leading
killer of adults in all western cultures. Many people believe their fate has
been sealed through the inheritance of ‘bad’ genes, and no degree of healthy
living will have any effect on their risk of an untimely and early demise. More
evidence that this thought process could not be more flawed is underscored by
the work of researchers at the Northwestern University
Feinberg School of Medicine as published in the journal Circulation.

Scientists have found that maintaining
a healthy lifestyle from childhood and into your 40’s and beyond can have a
profound effect on reduced risk of developing cardiovascular disease
as you grow older. Consuming a heart
healthy diet, regular physical activity, stress and blood pressure reduction
and maintaining a normal body weight combine to dramatically lower heart
disease risks compared to hereditary influences.

Five Modifiable Risk Factors Significantly
Lower Heart Disease Risk in Later Life

The lead study author, Dr. Kiang Liu
observed “In this study, even people with
a family history of heart problems were able to have a low cardiovascular
disease risk profile if they started living a healthy lifestyle when they were
young.” Many people engage in unhealthy and potentially deadly lifestyle
activities as they age that increasingly tip the scales toward the early
development of heart disease.

Researchers indentified five independent
lifestyle factors that directly influence the development of cardiovascular
disease. These modifiable factors include maintaining a lean body mass
index (BMI), no excess alcohol intake, no smoking, a healthy diet and regular
physical activity. Individuals able to modify these risk markers were able to significantly
lower heart disease risk in their middle-aged years and beyond.

The study found that when the study
participants were in their mid-twenties (average age of 24), nearly 44 percent
had a low cardiovascular disease risk profile. After a period of twenty years,
only 24 percent fell into the low risk category. Researchers found that sixty
percent of the participants that maintained a lifestyle optimized in all five
established risk factors remained in the low risk classification, compared to
only five percent that followed none of the healthy lifestyles.

Dr. Liu concluded“Many
studies suggest that people who have low cardiovascular risk in middle age will
have a better quality of life and will live longer in their older age… there
are a lot of benefits to maintaining a low-risk profile.” It will come as
no surprise to those following healthy lifestyle patterns that small changes
early in life can dramatically impact risk of chronic disease and overall
lifespan. This research provides further evidence that children, teenagers and
young adults must pay special attention to lifestyle factors including diet,
alcohol and smoking to significantly reduce heart disease risk in later life.

Monday, September 17, 2012

Broccoli is a super star member
of the cruciferous family, well known and documented as an immune boosting food
that supports the healthy clearance of aberrant cancer cells before they
multiply and develop into detectable tumors. Researchers reporting in the journalClinical Epigenetics have found that the
bioactive compound in broccoli, sulforaphane provides a multi-modal attack
against cancer cell development and proliferation through the complex mechanism
of epigenetics.

Epigenetics refers to the way
that diet,
toxins and other environmental contributors can change which genes get
activated, or "expressed" within our genetic code to guide the
accurate replication essential to cellular metabolism and repair. This can play
a powerful role in preventing and promoting many chronic illnesses from cancer
to heart disease and other health issues. Consuming broccoli raw or lightly
steamed several times each week can supply a potent dose of sulforaphane to
help prevent many types of cancer.

In past research bodies,
scientists have documented the pathway utilized by sulforaphane to inhibit the
action of an enzyme known as histone deacetylase (HDAC inhibitor) that helps
restore proper balance and helps prevent the development of cancer. Researchers
at the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University have uncovered a
second mechanism, DNA methylation that works in concert with HDAC inhibitors
that work to maintain proper cell function. Sulforaphane from broccoli and
other crucifers stimulates both HDAC and DNA methylation pathways in a
synergistic fashion to prevent cancer development.

The lead study author, Dr. Emily
Ho commented
regarding the sulforaphane-cancer connection “Cancer is very complex and it's usually not just one thing that has
gone wrong… it's increasingly clear that sulforaphane is a real multi-tasker.
The more we find out about it, the more benefits it appears to have."

Nutritionists Recommend Three to Five Servings of Broccoli Every Week

DNA methylation controls the
healthy expression of genes. When this pathway is blocked scientists have found
a significantly increased risk of conditions including cardiovascular disease,
immune function, neurodegenerative disease and even aging. Foods
that provide sulfur groups necessary for proper DNA methylation
include onions, garlic, nuts and seeds. Sulforaphane from broccoli is found in
this research to stimulate the methylation path to enable normal gene
expression to thwart cancer cell genesis.

Nutrition experts recommend
consuming one to two servings of broccoli (or other members of the crucifer
family such as cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts or kale) several days of
the week. A rapidly growing body of evidence demonstrates that the natural, active
compounds found in these vegetables help to prevent cancer and other chronic
disease by dealing a two-step knockout blow to influence gene expression.

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Omega-3 fats including DHA and
EPA are preferentially selected by the human body to form the critical cellular
membrane boundary separating the cell nucleus and DNA with the surrounding
extracellular environment. The precise fatty acid composition of the membrane
determines permeability properties for the passage of essential materials such
as oxygen, micronutrients and glucose required for proper cell function.

Researchers publishing in Neurology, the medical journal of the
American Academy of Neurology, have found that a diet lacking in omega-3 fatty
acids may cause your brain to age faster and lose some of its memory and
cognitive capabilities. Regular fatty fish consumption or supplementing with a
molecularly distilled form of fish oil is shown to improve memory and thought
retention and may significantly lower the risk of cognitive decline associated
with the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.

An extensive volume of research
over the past decade has demonstrated that eating fish several times each week or
supplementing with fish oil standardized to provide equivalent concentrations of the long chain fats, EPA
and DHA improves brain development and improved levels of cognition as we age. Dr.
Zaldy Tan of the Easton Center for Alzheimer's Disease Research at the
University of California in Los Angeles noted“People with lower blood levels of omega-3
fatty acids had lower brain volumes that were equivalent to about two years of
structural brain aging.”

Researchers assembled 1,575
individuals with an average age of 67 who were deemed free of dementia. The
participants were given an MRI brain scan and took tests that measured mental
function, body mass index (BMI) and the omega-3 fatty acid levels in their red
blood cells. Scientists determined that those people in the lowest quartile of
red blood cell DHA
saturation had lower brain volume compared to people who had higher DHA levels.
They also scored lower on tests of visual memory and executive function.

Dr. Tan and his team found a
direct correlation between circulating levels of omega-3 fats and performing
everyday tasks such as problem solving, multi-tasking and abstract thinking. The
study team concluded“Lower RBC (red blood cell) DHA levels
are associated with smaller brain volumes and a ‘vascular’ pattern of cognitive
impairment even in persons free of clinical dementia.”

Nutrition experts recommend
eating fatty fish at least three times per week to obtain adequate levels of
the pre-formed omega-3 fats, DHA and EPA. Alternatively, you can supplement
with distilled fish oil gel-caps providing between 1,200 and 2,400 mg of
EPA/DHA fats (higher amounts indicated for optimal cardiovascular and brain
health protection) to reduce the effects of brain aging and maintain normal
brain volume as you age.

Monday, September 3, 2012

Thousands of research studies
have demonstrated the powerful health-promoting properties of the prohormone
compound, vitamin D3. Researchers publishing
in The Journal of Immunology explain
the specific molecular and signaling events by which vitamin D
inhibits inflammation in the human body. In a very detailed analysis, scientists
show that low blood circulating levels of vitamin D do not adequately inhibit
the inflammatory cascade necessary to turn off this potentially destructive
mechanism.

Low levels of inflammation,
normally used by the body to fight pathogenic invaders, become a primary cause
of heart
disease, diabetes, many cancer lines and Alzheimer’s dementia. Additional evidence reported
in the British Journal of Nutrition demonstrates
that adequate vitamin D levels reduce critical markers of cardiovascular health
and can lead to significant reductions in body fat in overweight and obese
people. It is critical to have your vitamin D level checked, and supplement as
necessary to lower inflammation levels and risk of heart disease.

Dr. Elena Goleva, lead scientist
from National Jewish Health, found that prior studies with vitamin D show a
clear and positive link between blood levels of the prohormone and a variety of
different health outcomes. Dr. Goleva and her team looked for specific
mechanisms to explain precisely how vitamin D functions at the cellular level
to prevent disease in the human body.

Dr. Goleva and her team of
researchers noted that vitamin D is a catalyst that initiates“a clear chain of cellular events, from the
binding of DNA, through a specific signaling pathway, to the reduction of
proteins known to trigger inflammation.” To test how vitamin D acts on immune and
inflammatory pathways, team scientists exposed human white blood cells to
varying levels of vitamin D and exposed them to an agent known to promote
intense inflammatory responses and advance disease processes.

White blood cells that were
incubated with no vitamin D or a solution of 15 ng/mL produced very high levels
of the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and TNF-alpha. In vivo, these signaling
messengers are known to be responsible for the development and progression of
cardiovascular disease, certain forms of cancer and dementia. Cells incubated
at a concentration of 30 ng/mL and above showed a significantly reduced
response, while the highest level of inflammatory inhibition occurred at 50
ng/ml.

Supporting evidence for the
health-promoting effect of vitamin D as reported in the journal BMJ shows marked improvement in
cardiovascular biomarkers including HDL cholesterol. Additionally, researchers
found the hormone-like substance lowered the risk of lipid peroxidation, the
process responsible for making LDL cholesterol molecules sticky and prone to
form atherosclerotic plaque. They also determined that high circulating levels
of vitamin D were associated
with “significant reductions in fat mass”
in overweight and obese people.

There should be no doubt that the
millions of people living with grossly sub-optimal vitamin D levels are
dramatically increasing their risk of developing a plethora of potentially
deadly illnesses. Health-minded individuals will ensure they maintain a
circulating blood level of 50 to 70 ng/mL by means of a 25(OH)D blood test to
regulate systemic inflammation and fight chronic disease.

Natural Weight Loss EBook by John Phillip.

About Me

John Phillip is a Certified Nutrition Consultant and Diet, Health and Nutrition Researcher/Writer with a passion for understanding Weight Loss challenges and encouraging Health Modification through proper Diet, Nutritional Lifestyle and Targeted Supplementation. John's passion is to research and write about the cutting edge medical technology which will affect our lives through life extension principles.